Is your community firewise?

Last year, Bay County approved a 30-year extension of an agreement made with the St. Joe Co. in 2002 for the RiverCamps development near West Bay. St. Joe has been moving away from its traditional lumber and paper producing businesses to land development over the past two decades.

News Herald file photo

By Valerie Garman / The News Herald

Published: Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 08:57 AM.

WEST BAY — You won’t find a yard landscaped with pine straw in the West Bay community RiverCamps.

The development, located off State 388, soon will celebrate 10 years as a “Firewise” safe community, and that means keeping lawns clear of potential wildfire fuel.

“That is a huge no-no when it comes to being fire safe,” said Brian Goddin, spokesman for the Chipola Forestry Center of the Florida Forest Service.

But it takes more than just keeping your lawn clear of brush to be dubbed a Firewise community.

“Besides just that, we also try to work with communities for things they can do to keep their home from being the fuel in the event of a wildfire,” said Goddin, noting that use of fire-resistant construction like brick or Hardie board can also help protect homes. “During a wildfire, you’re at the mercy of whatever Mother Nature throws at you — the bottom line is that their neighborhood is safer.”

The nationally-recognized Firewise program exists to protect homes and lives through wildfire preparation, and RiverCamps has held the title since the 1,500-acre St. Joe Company development was completed in 2003.

Residents, friends and Florida Forest Service personnel will celebrate the achievement at RiverCamps Friday at 10 a.m. with Firewise demonstrations, a trophy presentation, snacks and refreshments.

WEST BAY — You won’t find a yard landscaped with pine straw in the West Bay community RiverCamps.

The development, located off State 388, soon will celebrate 10 years as a “Firewise” safe community, and that means keeping lawns clear of potential wildfire fuel.

“That is a huge no-no when it comes to being fire safe,” said Brian Goddin, spokesman for the Chipola Forestry Center of the Florida Forest Service.

But it takes more than just keeping your lawn clear of brush to be dubbed a Firewise community.

“Besides just that, we also try to work with communities for things they can do to keep their home from being the fuel in the event of a wildfire,” said Goddin, noting that use of fire-resistant construction like brick or Hardie board can also help protect homes. “During a wildfire, you’re at the mercy of whatever Mother Nature throws at you — the bottom line is that their neighborhood is safer.”

The nationally-recognized Firewise program exists to protect homes and lives through wildfire preparation, and RiverCamps has held the title since the 1,500-acre St. Joe Company development was completed in 2003.

Residents, friends and Florida Forest Service personnel will celebrate the achievement at RiverCamps Friday at 10 a.m. with Firewise demonstrations, a trophy presentation, snacks and refreshments.

RiverCamps was the first community in the Chipola Forestry Center’s seven-county district to become Firewise and remained the only Firewise community in the area until about two years ago. A pair of South Walton County developments, Hidden Dunes and Cypress Dunes, also hold the designation now.

Goddin said wildfire preparation is especially important in more rural areas like West Bay.

Currently, there are only 23 homes and 60 full-time residents on RiverCamps' 1,500 acres, leaving more than 250 vacant lots within the development, requiring frequent mowing to keep vegetation down.

“Vegetation in the state of Florida is naturally flammable,” Goddin said. “In Florida, we don’t have what you call a fire season, we have year-round fire activity. We can actually have a wildfire pretty much any time of year.”

Goddin said the RiverCamps community also is looking into conducting prescribed fires alongside the Florida Forest Service to reduce the amount of flammable vegetation within the neighborhood gates.

“They also, as a community, realize the benefits of prescribed fire,” Goddin said. “They know that doing it under our terms, it will knock some of that vegetation back down so if there is a wildfire, it will be less flammable.”

To be recognized as Firewise, communities must be assessed by their local forestry service, make necessary changes and submit an application to the national organization. Communities must reapply annually to keep the designation.

“It’s definitely a commitment,” Goddin said. “RiverCamps is a community that has made that commitment now for 10 years.”